Tibetan man in Chamdo beaten and detained after being accused of contacting outside world

9th August 2017

Chinese authorities detained Jampa Choegyal for two days and beat him

A Tibetan man in Chamdo, central Tibet, has been detained and beaten after authorities accused him of calling his brother, who lives outside the country.

Last month, Jampa Choegyal, 30, received a call from Chinese authorities summoning him to report at Nortom Township in Chamdo’s Dragyab County. He was detained for two days, during which time he was beaten and interrogated.

A harsh interrogation

While in detention, Jampa Choegyal was repeatedly questioned about his connection with his brother, who lives in exile in Australia. Officials also enquired about their family members’ current relationship with the brother. The motivation for these questions is not clear and it has since been estbalished that Jampa Choegyal made no such call.

Jampa Choegyal was warned by the officials to avoid any contact with his brother for "his own safety". The authorities confiscated his phone upon his release but later returned it.

Jampa Choegyal was attending the Tsechok festival at Chuwar monastery in Dragyab County, when the authorities summoned him to meet them.

Arbitrary detentions in Tibet

Tibetans are routinely detained under Chinese rule, with Free Tibet recording numerous instances of arbitrary detentions in this year alone. Among them, Jamyang Lodru, has been recently sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment after being arbitrarily detained for a year.

Tibetans can be detained for denouncing human rights violations in Tibet, asking for Tibet’s independence or flying the Tibetan flag. Individuals have also been arrested after contacting other Tibetans living outside the country. In March 2016 two men and a woman were arrested after dicussing the Tibetan elections with Tibetans living in exile.

Take action

Tashi Wangchuk has been held in detention since 2016. He is accused of "inciting separatism" and faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. Yet, China has provided no evidence that he has committed any crime.

Contact your embassy in China to ensure that Tashi Wangchuk receives a fair trial or the Chinese authorities drop the charges.